Antifriction-bearing.



. I H. FROBUSE.

AN TIPRIGTION BEARING: APPLIOATION FILED PEB.12, 1908.

% lute 00 m I Liven [0.1" HM W flame? F 3 Patented Jul 27, 1909.

HEINRICH FBOBDSE, OF BIELEFELD, GERMANY.

ANTIFRICTION-BEARING.,

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented July 2'7, 1909.

Application filed February 12, 1908. Serial N 0. 415,597.

To all whom it may concern;

lie it known that .l, Hnnziuoir FnonosE, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at .llielet'eld. Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .tntifriction-Bearings, of which the following is aspccifimition.

This invention relates to improvements in antifrietion hearings and has for one of its objects the provision of such a bearing particularly designed for the employment of spherical elements such as balls, the improved construction being such that said balls are given practically a universal movement thereby insuring uniform wearthereof.

Av further improvement consists in an improved form of means for spacing the balls so as to keep the same out of engagement with each other and in the preferred construction the spacing means does not posi tively engage the .balls, or in other words no positive mechanical connection is provided, sothatthe function of the spacing means is'tlperformed by frictional engagement between the same and said balls. Preferably the spacing means is not mechanically connected with the device of the invention and is not positively held in position but is desirably of the floating type and is movable with the balls. Means are provided for frict-ionally engagingthe floating spacing means to hold the samein position and said means is desirably removably secured in place.

The invention will be more fully described in connection with the accon'ipanying drawing and will be more particularly pointed out and ascertained in and by the appended claims. In the drawing: Figure 1, is a sectional view taken on line'A--B of Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is a view in elevation with parts broken away. Fig. 3, is a sectional view of the improved spacing means or ring. Fig. i. is a side view thereof. Fig. 5; is a sectional view of means for retaining the spacer in position, said figure showing this feature as ablank ring, from which the completed ring is manufactured. Fig. 6. is a sectional view of the ring when complete showing the same dished. Fig. 7, is a side view of'said ring. Fig. 8. is tl-EOCflOlltll view illustrating a modified construction. Fig. 9, is a detail of one of the partsthereof.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawing:

As shownllie invention comprises anti-' friction bearing members a' and b which arein the form of rings adapted to be associated. with parts of a mechanism to which the bearing is to be applied. Said members are conveniently provided with annular opposed "l'tECOHrJLS a and b which form hall race although this particular form of race is not. essential. An advantage of this form of race is that it affords room -for-a greater number of balls and therefore affords a greater anti-friction efficiency by distributing the bearing portions upon a greater number of surfaces and preventing the imposition of excessive pressure upon relatively limited surfaces. A further advantage of this form of race is that by distributing the weight or strain upon a relatively large number of balls the same are not subjected to the amount of wearthat would be the case wlth a relatively limited number of balls. A plurality of balls d are disposed or nested in the race'and the num ber of balls employed is so proportioned with respect to the containing capacity of the race as to permit the balls to be located in relatively close proximity with respect to each other and a suflicient distance apart from each other to prevent engagement.

' Spacing means is provided for maintaining the balls in close proximity with respect to each other and to prevent. engagement there between and in the most preferred embodiment of the invention said means per forms its function without being mechanically connected with the balls. In order to prevent interference by? the spacer or, spacing means with free movement of theballs said means itself is mechanically unconnected or is not positively connected with any part of the device and the same is maintained in a prescribed relation with respect to the balls by meanso'f its engagement. therewith which engagement. in the preferred embodiment. is wholly frictional.

Considered in connection -witlrthe specific 'embodimel'it shown the spacing means 'consists of a flat ring 8 which is provided with a plurality of ball engaging portions ors'eats .which as shown are concavetl' ina manner to lit the peripheral surface of the balls. Said seats a are for the purpose of spacing the balls apart from each other and therefore'the same are disposedand proportioned in accordance with the number of balls used. Said ring 0 is adapted to be interposed between the anti-friction members a and b in a manner to engage the balls at on a line angular to the line of strain imposed by the members a and I). It will be seen that under the actionof-the members a and b the balls (1 will revolveabout.horizontal axes and that by reason of the lateral engagement'of the spacer c the balls d will have a tendency to rotate about ra'dial axes.- In practice however it has been found that the lateral en gagement of the ring a will effect promiscuous rotation of the balls so that the bearing portions thereof will be constantly changed thereby causing uniform wear. This feature is very advantageous in as much as it prevents the balls' from becoming worn on definite lines. The ring 0 is so proportioned that a working clearance is afforded between the same and the members. a and b which permits of bodily rotation OfilllG spacerr with the balls d. It will be obvious however that the speed with which the ring 0 rotates will be the same as the bodily rotation of the balls butthe {IXidlrlOtfitiOIl of the balls will be greater than the speed of the rotation of the ring a and it is partly due to this dif-' ference of movement that the balls (I are caused to rotate promiscuousl in the ball race. It will be further obvious that the ring 0 is floatingly suspended with respect, to the'members a and b and that it is held in concentric relation therewith by its engagement with the balls.

Means are-provided for iug said spacing ring in engagement with the balls (l and as'shown said means consists of a ring f adapted to be held in place by engagement with one of the bearing members preferably a. By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the ring f is not mechanically connected with the ring 0 but serves to hold the same in place by frictional .engagementtherewith thereby permitting said ring 0 to freely rotate. As shown said ring f is formed from a fiat blank illustrated in section in Fig. Fig. 6 shows the ring dished or conical and the inner margin of said ring is preferably notched as at f to permit of this dished formation. By dishing the lat blank the inner diameter is enlarged and the outer diameter is reduced.

The member a is provided with a retainer holder in the form of an annular groove y in which the inner notched margin of the ring f is adapted to seat. in assembling the parts the spacing ring a is inserted between the members a. and b and is engaged .with the balls at andthereafter the dished ring 7 is inserted between themcmbers a and b and holding or retain,

[iattenedagainst the ring 0. The enlarged inner diameter of the ring f permits of. readily passing the same over the member a and when the former is flattenediits inner marginal portion projects into and seats in the groove y. The walls of the groove are parallel and serve efiectively to prevent the ring f from unseating itself by reason of the tension caused by the flattening operation and this tension of the ring f is therefore exerted upon the ring 0 to hold the same in engagement with the balls d.

In Figs. 8 and 9 a single ring h is shown in which the spacing and retaining means is embodied in a single structure. Said ring it notched at h and is provided with ball seats h for engagement with the balls d. In other respects the structure of the modified form is similar to that of the preferred form.

it will be understood that the flattening of the ring f does not in any sense constitute a step in the manufacture of the ring as the same is a complete and finished article when in the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The flattening of said ring in the groove. 9 merely a stepin the assembling of the parts which is equivalent to the insertion of any yielding member in place.

1. In combination, bearing members providing a ball race, anti-friction balls disposed in said race, spacing means for spacing said balls apartfrom each other, and a dished or conicai retainer of yielding material flattened into engagement with said spacing means to hold the same in operative relation with said balls.

2. In combination, bearing members proriding a ball race, anti friction balls disposed in said race, spacing means for spacing said balls apart from each other, and a dished or conical retainer of yielding, ma-

terialprovided with a notched marginal in presence of two witnesses.

HEINRICH FROBOSE.

" Witnessesr Ronnur v. Bunow, M. BETINE.

retainer into said groove whereby In testimony Whereo I afiix my signature 

